Southern California -- this just in

Stowaway kitten survives in ship container from Shanghai

A stowaway kitten who survived a 6,500-mile trip trapped inside a container aboard a freighter from Shanghai was being nursed back to health Thursday in Carson.

The 3-month-old shorthaired kitten apparently endured the trip without food or water, said Marcia Mayeda, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control.

The kitten was discovered when the container was delivered to a business near Compton and was taken to the Carson Animal Center, where workers have begun calling her Ni Hao, which means "hello" in Mandarin.

"She’s doing OK; she was pretty weak and dehydrated," Mayeda said. "It was touch and go at first, but staff has been taking good care of her."

The kitten is under quarantine. Once she clears that and is vaccinated and spayed, she will be placed up for adoption, Mayeda said.